Breeches



H. A. S

NOV. 1

BREECHES Filed N 1927 gam a W W W M 3 5 6 G. G J

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n/ MV 6 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE HERMAN A. SPEH, F BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK :ennncnns Application filed. November 5, 1927. Serial No. 231,287.

This invention relates in general to gar- I ments and more particularly has reference to breeches.

The breeches forming the subject matter of this invention are primarily intended for use under conditions of strenuous activity, and where exposure to the elements is oftimes necessary, as prevail in a number of sports, such as hunting and riding, and in military service. In breeches of this character it is essens tial that a relatively close fit be obtained and at the same time provision made for the greatest freedom of bodily movement. It has also been necessary that the materials used for weatherproofing afford as much protection as possible in the way of reinforcement, without materially adding to the weight of the breeches or allowing contact with the skin of the wearer that might give rise to chafing.

Heretofore breeches of this character have not embodied means to allow a material expansion of the waistband, compensating for movement of the hips and thighs, at the same time affording a snug fit, nor has there been provided in the past any constructions havins; a close fit at the bottom around the legs without restricting the movement of the ous materials used for weatherproofing breeches of this character have either so added to the weight of the garment as to make it impracticable for wear, or so incorporated in the make u as to give rise to chafing after a short period of use. and besides have not added materially to the reinforcement of the garment.

An obiect of this invention is to provide a pair of breeches for use under conditions of strenuous activity and exposure to the elernents.

More specifically another obiect of this invention is to provide a pair of breeches having a wais band insuring a snug fit allowing freedom of bodilv movement.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a pair of breeches having bottoms affordino" a close fit around the calves of the less without interfering with the movement of the knees.

knees. Also previous to this time, the vari- A further object of this invention is to provide a pair of breeches having the front and rear portions reinforced with material affording protection against the elements.

A still further object of this invention is to. provide a pair of breeches reinforced with material affording protection against the elements, that will not chafe the skin of the wearer.

With these and other objects in view which may be incident to my improvements, the invention consists in the parts and combinations to be hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that the several necessary elements comprising my invention, may be varied in construction, proportions and arrangement, without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

In order to-make my invention more clearly understood, I have shown in the accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practical effect, without limiting the improvements in their-useful applications to the particular constructions, which for the purpose of explanation, have been made the subject of illustration.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the breeches forming the subject matter of this invention, showing the front and a portion of the back panels;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the breeches showing the back and a portion of the front panels;

Fig. 3 is a top sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the method of applying I the weatherproof reinforcing material to the front andback panels;

Fig. 4 is a top partly sectional view of the elastic insert;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view partly broken away, showing the elastic insert attached to the front and back panels.

Referring by numerals to the drawings, in which the same and similar elements are designated by like symbols of reference throughout, and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown the breeches forming the subject matter of this invention, comprising a plurality of front panels 1 and 2.

The front panels 1 and 2 are joined to a plurality of back panels 3 and 4. The outside side edges of the front panels 1 and 2 are folded over at the edges and stitched to to the back panels on both sides, as at 5. The inside edges of the front panels 1 and 2 are folded over and sewed to the inside edges of the back panels 3 and 4, which are also folded over to form inside seams down each leg, as at 6, extending from the bottom to the crotch.

The tops on the sides of the front panels 1 and 2 are cut away as at 7, and folded and stitched as at 8, to form pocket openings. One side of an insert 9 is stitched to the back of the front panels 1 and 2, at 11, and folded over and stitched to the front edges of the back panels 3 and 4, at 12, in the same manner as the front and back panels are stitched at 5. A plurality of inside front pockets, are stitched to the edge of the insert 9 and-to the edge of the pocket openings 7. The edges of the pockets 7 are reinforced by upper and lower stitching 13 and 14 atthe limits of the pocket opening.

The front panel 2 is turned over at the edge and seamed to the front panel 1 from the inside seam 6, as at 15. The front panel 2 is folded over above the juncture 15, and sewed to a back lining together with a flap provided with buttonholes, adapted to be sewed over the back lining and held to the back of the front panel 2, by stitching 16. The side of the front panel 1, normally against the flap, is provided with buttons adapted to cooperate with the b-uttonholes in the flap and secure the opening.

The back panel 4 is folded over and stitched from the crotch to the back panel 3, as at 17. The tops of the back panels 3 and 4 are folded over and stitched to an inside waistband 18, and the top of the front sections 1 and 2 and the insert 9 are folded over and stitched to a plurality of inside waistbands 19 and 21. The waistband 18 is stitched at the bottom to the inside of the rear panels, as at 22.

A plurality of loops 23 are secured on the outside of the front and back panels and the inserts 9 along the waistband, adapted to receive a belt, and the inside of'the waistbands are provided with a plurality of buttons 24, for engagement with suspenders. The back panels 3 and 4 are provided with two aligned slits 25 and 26 having flaps 27 and 28 sewn to the top edges and inside back pockets 29 and 31, stitched to the top and bottom edges of the slits. The flaps may be provided with buttonholes 32 and held by buttons 33, if so desired.

The top sides of the front of the back panels 3 and 4 are cut away as at 34. A plurality of elastic inserts 35 are stitched along the edges of the cut away portions of the back panels at 36 and joined to the back sides of the front panels 1 and 2 by stitches 37, in line with the stitching 12 and 15, joining the insert and the front panel to the back panel. The insert 9 and the waistband'21 are folded over, as shown in Figure 4, at 38 and 39, to receive one side of the elastic insert. The edge on the cut away portion on the back panel 4 and the end of the waistband 18 folded over at 41 and 42, are adapted to receive the other side of the insert, and the two sides stitched by threads 43 and 44.

The elastic insert is composed of puckered elastic fabric material 45 having a plurality of rubber strips 46 and 47 at the top, and a series of rubber strips 48 on the face. The elastic inserts 35 on the side are adapted to form a portion of the waistband and as the puckcrs in the material extend vertically, the insertis adapted to afford greater elasticity, and more readily conform with the contours of the body of the wearer, than could otherwise be obtained. The back panels only are cut away, and in this manner the front panels are not allowed to flop around the abdominal portions as would be the case if the front panels were similarly cut.

The bottom of the back panels 3 and 4 are cut away on each leg as shown at 49, and an elastic insert of the same material as 35, sewn to the edge of the cut away portion and the sides of the front panels 1 and 2, by the same stitching 5 and 6, that would normally join the panels. The elastic inserts 51 are sewn to the edges of the cut away portion 49 on the back panels when the edges are flat with the elastic stretched, so that after the elastic has been sewn and the material released, the back of the panels gather and form a plurality of tucks 52.

This insert comprises half of the circumference of the leg, and is positioned to fit over the lower portion of the calf. The insert is wider at the top than at the bottom, so that in the restitution position it is adapted to conform generally with the curvature of the lower portion of the calf. The bottom of the elastic insert 51 is provided with an additional band of rubber 53, so as to form a plurality of bands as 46 and 47, at the top of the elastic insert 45.

The front panels 1 and 2 are gathered at the knee sections as shown by a plurality of tucks 54 and stitched in this manner to the back panels 3 and 4 by the stitching 5. This gathering at the knee allows freedom to bend the knees to any extent, without straining the material or the seams of the trousers.

Reinforcement linings 55 and 56 are sewn in back of the front panels 1 and 2. The linings, preferably composed of the same material as the breeches, are faced on one side with a waterproof coating 57, as shown in Figure 3 on the lining 56. The sides of the linings are folded over with the sides of the front panels 2, as shown at 58, and stitched to the back section 4 by the same stitching 5, as joins the front and back sections. The other sides of the waterproof reinforcing linings 55 and 56 are sewn in the inside seams 6 and the top sewn across the face of the front panels, as at 59 and 61. The bottom of the linings are sewn across the face of the front sections as at 62 and 63, and the insides gathered and tucked in the same manner as the front sections at the knee, so that the same freedom of movement will be allowed.

The rubberized portion of the inserts 55 and 56 are juxtaposed against the interior front panels, so that only the fabric portion is exposed. The waterproofing material is not allowed to contact with the limbs of the wearer and the linings are attached on all sides so that they will not flop and cause chafing. In this manner, the necessity of providing an additional lining over the waterproofing material and thus increasing the weight of the breeches is not necessary, as the protection is afforded in a single piece of material.

A lining 64 is sewn inside of the rear portion of the back panels 3 and 4 having one side joined in the seam 17 and the inside seam 6 and the other side sewn around the face of the panel at 65. A similar'waterproof lining 66 is sewn in the rear panel 3 having one side sewn in the seams 6 and 17, and the other side sewed around the inside face of the rear panel 3, at 67. As these linings are stitched on all sides, they are held fast and prevented from rubbing in the same manner as the linings 55 and 56.

In making the breeches the elastic inserts on the waistband and the bottom of the legs may be seamed on when the front and rear panels are joined together with the sides of the front weatherproof reinforcing linings and the inside edges of the back linings. When the garment is worn a snug fit at the waist is insured of the resiliency of the elastic inserts, but as only the rear panels are cut away the front is supported and made to present a trim appearance, at the same time allowing a freedom of movement. The elastic inserts on the bottom of the trousers provide a close fit to accommodate boots or leggings and the tucks in the knee portion afford ample room in the breeches to compensate for the bending of the knees. The front and rear linings lend to the ruggedness of the breeches and the waterproof coat-' 'mg on the inside precludes the entrance of moisture.

There is accomplished by this invention a pair of breeches for use under conditions of strenuous activity where the wearer is often exposed to the elements in which freedom of movement is allowed in all portions and provided with reinforced sections serving the double purpose of protecting the wearer against the weather and reenforcing the breeches. x

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction herein set forth, by way of illustration, as it is apparent that many changes and variations may be made therein, by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention, or exceeding the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A pair of breeches comprising a plurality of front and back panels, integrally formed of continuous pieces and sewn together along the side edges, the side edges of the front panels being puckered adjacent the knee portions, and a portion of the back panels being cut away adjacent the bottoms with the bottom edges of the cut away portions normally puckered and sewn to the tops of elastic inserts having the sides sewn to the side edges of the front panels adjacent the cut away portions of the back panels, to provide for giving of the front panels at the knees, and of the back panels at the calves, respectively, to prevent binding of those portions and straining of the breeches.

In testimony whereof'I aifix my signature.

HERMAN A. SPEH. 

